Plus some nice gear.

Ubisoft’s already freakishly huge Greek epic is expanding again this month. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is charging into 2019 with a new DLC episode, along with more free quests, mercenaries and, at long last, some level scaling options. Every time I think I’m close to done, all this new stuff pops up and I find myself dragged back to antiquity.

Shadow Heritage is Odyssey’s latest DLC episode, continuing the story of the Legacy of the First Blade that started in December. Steven reckoned it expanded Odyssey’s best feature, the cultist system, but he wasn’t impressed with the quest design. We’ll find out if Shadow Heritage, which promises an epic maritime battle, manages to improve on its predecessor when it appears on January 15.

You’ll need to shell out for Legacy of the First Blade, but the rest of January’s new quests will be free. The latest in the Lost Tales of Greece series, Daughters of Lalaia, is already out. You’ll need to train a village of women to defend themselves against bandits. It’s a Greek Seven Samurai, basically. You should get a notification when you jump into the game.

At the end of the month, you’ll also be able to play Poet’s Legacy, where you’ll become involved in a famous poet’s risque performances. If you're visiting ancient Greece you have to dabble in some drama.

If you fancy a giant, molten hammer, you’re in luck. Another mythical creature is being added to the roster, and if you defeat Arges the cyclops, you’ll get his fancy weapon as a reward. It’s probably not the stealthiest weapon, but Odyssey isn’t the stealthiest game. And it does look extremely menacing.

Expect new gear packs in the shop, another lieutenant in the Ubisoft Club, more mercenaries, new engraving tiers and, finally, a concession made to everyone who wanted to get rid of level scaling.

The new enemy scaling options won’t let you remove enemy scaling entirely, but you will be able to tweak it. Hit up the options after the January 10 update and you’ll be able to pick four different options. Normal keeps things the same, heavy makes every enemy your level, light means you’ll be able to fight enemies two levels below you and very light knocks it down to four. In nightmare difficulty, the option will be disabled.

After countless battles with Odyssey's damage sponges, I'm more than ready to beat up some weaklings.